


stay away from me

by relationshipcrimes



Series: prompt fics 1 [2]
Category: Persona 5
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-29
Updated: 2020-02-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 07:15:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22949941
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/relationshipcrimes/pseuds/relationshipcrimes
Summary: Akechi's boss battle goes a different way when Joker refuses to fight.
Relationships: Akechi Goro/Kurusu Akira
Series: prompt fics 1 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1649317
Comments: 9
Kudos: 349





	stay away from me

In the last second before the psychotic break snaps Goro’s mind in half, Joker drops his weapons.

“ _What are you doing?!_ ” Oracle shrieks. The shockwave of the sheer power coming off Loki hits the front line hard, making them stagger, and Joker’s gun and knife skitters backwards and out of sight. “ _Joker?! Someone get him a weapon!_ ”

Skull and Queen flank Joker instantly. Goro can’t stop laughing. It’s hysterical, it’s hilarious, he _can’t fucking stand_ Kurusu’s _infuriating_ habit of walking away from every encounter without a scratch, ghosting through interrogation rooms and death itself like a phantom, and now it’s going to be Joker’s downfall at last _at last_ , he’ll _beat Joker’s face to the bloody pulp it deserves_ and Joker’s just going to _let_ him. “Joker, take my sword!” Mona cries.

“No,” says Joker. “You said it yourself. He doesn’t hate us.”

“Don’t be stupid, Joker!” Mona cries. “He’s gone psychotic! We have no idea what he’ll do--”

“ _MEGIDOLAON_ ,” Goro hears, and later realizes it’s his own ragged shriek.

The magic bursts and hammers along the engine room floor as if from a thousand miles away. The call of chaos swims through his head at a furious volume so constant and overwhelming that it feels, somehow, completely quiet. The Phantom Thieves are screaming and he has to push his mind to think: _yes, that’s what I wanted, this feels satisfying_ , because it doesn’t feel like much of anything when his skin feels like an overripe grape full of blood.

Joker’s huddled under some Persona with a magic barrier, but he still doesn’t take Mona’s weapon. “This battle is meaningless,” he says, like he’s throwing Goro’s own words back in his face, and starts walking towards him.

“ _DIE THEN_ ,” says Goro’s voice in his own ear. Loki’s sword slams down like cell bars. Joker stumbles, sways, but doesn’t fall. Another one of his _maddening_ Personas takes the brunt of the hit. “ _COWARD_ ,” Goro’s voice is screaming. “ _FIGHT ME!”_

Joker keeps walking.

The call of chaos peels Goro’s brain right in half: one pomegranate half in one hand, sparking and screaming, the other half bloody and sopping wet. “ _I’ll kill you_ ,” says Goro’s voice, like a tape recorder through the static chaos. “ _I’ll kill you, I’ll kill you, I hate you--_ ”

“Then do it,” says Joker.

One half of Goro’s skull full of sound; the other half, fury. Dripping all over Loki’s hands. The chains of the mind are broken. The heart is free to speak. And no matter how hard Goro listens for the drive to run Joker through with Laevatein, inside is just static and static and static all the way down.

“ _I’LL KILL YOU,_ ” wails Goro’s voice. “ _STAY AWAY FROM ME!_ ”

Joker keeps walking.

“I SAID STAY _AWAY!_ ” Loki blooms with Desperation; Goro whips his gun out with a grip that feels stronger and weaker at the same time. “ _Attic trash, worthless teammates, goddamn filthy thieves--don’t touch me, don’t you dare--you’ll die, I’ll kill you, you’ll die and die and die and--_ ”

Joker holds out his hands. _He really isn’t going to fight_ , says one half of Goro’s skull. _He’s really going to die this time_ , says the other half.

“ _STOP_ ,” begs the voice. Loki casts Desperation again, and then again, like a bad reflex. “ _Stay away from me, stay back, I don’t need anyone, I don’t…!”_

“Kill me, then,” says Joker. It’s an order.

“ _I’ll kill you_ ,” insists the ragged voice.

Through the noise, Joker’s eyes are quiet and steady. His hands are outstretched. Empty. Red gloves like blood. Blood on the interrogation room table. The first time he’d killed someone in the real world. No weapons in Joker’s hands. He’s reaching for Goro. Loki hangs over them both like a guillotine.

“Stop,” says Goro’s voice. Small. Weak. Disgusting. “Don’t touch me. Stay away from me. I’ll kill you. You’ll die. You’ll die.”

Joker’s hands full of blood on Goro’s cheeks. Two hands, open palms, holding Goro’s two sundered halves in equal weight. Call of chaos. Broken chains. Miles of noise and he wants to hate more than he does. Goro is hung by the noose of his heart’s chains, and he freefalls to his death the second its cut loose. This wasn’t what he wanted. This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Joker the weaponless Phantom Thief is defying death once again, and all Goro’s stupid, weak heart can do is want.

“Don’t look at me,” says Goro's voice.

**Author's Note:**

> twitter [@p5crimes](https://twitter.com/p5crimes)  
> tumblr [@akechicrimes](http://akechicrimes.tumblr.com)


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